Nathan Paul, 28, was born and raised in Osceola, Wisconsin, USA, but has spent most of his adult life abroad. As an undergraduate student at University of Minnesota Duluth, he spent one semester in Sweden and one in Germany, and for the last six years he’s been living and studying in China.
While he studied in Europe, he noticed that several of his European friends were capable of speaking their mother tongue, English and often a third or even fourth language. From their example, he was inspired to study German, but “wanted to be able to add something new to the conversations” he was hearing, so he started learning Chinese. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he’s now moved on to Russian.
After the struggle of learning Chinese, how come you went on to study Russian?
Ever since I was in high school, I have been fascinated with Russia and the Russian language, but I didn’t really have a chance to try and learn how to speak it until now. I think it’s worth learning because it’s estimated that over 265 million people speak Russian as a first or second language in an area covering a massive part of Eurasia. Therefore, by learning Russian, you can experience a different perspective of the human experience and travel a very large and diverse part of the world that I feel is often misunderstood.
Do you have any advice for people trying to learn Russian, Chinese or any other difficult language?
I am not a language expert by any means, but I think that if you want to learn something new, you must believe that you can actually do it. I didn’t honestly believe I could ever speak Chinese when I started, but my professors encouraged me to challenge myself by living and working in China where I would be forced to use it every day. Without their encouragement, I likely would never have followed through with it. Enjoy the experience of learning, be as creative as you can, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes – it’s the only way to truly learn.
What’s your impression of Liden & Denz? and what’s the best part of being a student here?
Liden & Denz is a great place to learn Russian. The language teachers I have thus far encountered are all very talented. They are very skilled at both targeting the mistakes their students make and explaining the logic behind occasionally confusing Russian grammar. Furthermore, they provide wonderful insight into Russian culture that we would not likely obtain on our own. If I had to decide what is my favorite part about being a student here, it would have to be making new friends with both the teachers and the other international students. On top of all this, the location of the school near the Nevsky Prospekt is excellent for experiencing Saint Petersburg so I highly recommend it!
Nathan is soon back off to China to where he studies International Business at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao, China, and also works as a teacher at a high school for South Korean exchange students. We wish him all the best for the future!